Facebook's first ad compares the social network to ... chairs?

Facebook announced Thursday that it had signed up its 1 billionth user. To celebrate, the company released an ad. The ad isn't really designed to sell anything. It is designed to help us understand Facebook's role in the world.

And it starts with chairs.

"Chairs are made so people can sit down and take a break," a woman's voice tells us as we watch all kinds of people sitting in all kinds of chairs. "Anyone can sit on a chair, and if the chair is large enough, they can sit down together.... Chairs are for people, and that's why chairs are like Facebook."

It goes on to tell us all kinds of things are like Facebook. Doorbells. Airplanes. Bridges. Oh, and the universe.

If you feel your eyes are rolling out of your head, you are not alone.

Gizmodo wrote, "Facebook's first ad is its worst ad," and the Atlantic Wire wrote, "The deepness doesn't come off as heartfelt, but just kind of silly."

The ad was created by Wieden & Kennedy, the Portland, Ore.-based ad agency that became famous for making Nike's powerful advertisements. Facebook just announced that the ad agency is now its agency of record.

Wieden Creative Director Karl Lieberman told Ad Age that the company wanted its first advertising message to be humble.

"Facebook wanted to speak in a significant, but humble way," Lieberman said. "We thought that starting off with chairs really did that. We don't think about chairs a lot, but you can if you want. You can spend $5 on a chair, or $5,000. They could be incredibly ordinary, or incredibly sophisticated. We thought it was a humble but interesting way for Facebook to start talking about itself."

The ad was directed by Alegnadro Gonzalez Inarritu, director of the films "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams."

And just in case you're wondering, yes, the @Facebookschair Twitter account has already been claimed.